Kilometre Zero
by Mulele
This is it. A moment of idle contemplation at the center of all that is Japan. The Kilometre Zero marker at Nihonbashi, Tokyo.
One of the most impressive sites in Tokyo is Shibuya crossing. A thousand people cross the street every time the light turns green. A site repeated, although to a slightly lesser degree, at every train station in the city.
However, if you’re like me, after 18 years this can get a little old. One night after work, instead of wading through the crowds to get to my train, I turned around and started walking toward my house. I’ve always enjoyed walking in Tokyo and even though I had finished work at 10 PM the thought of walking home slow was far more appealing than a quick ride home in a packed train. Within minutes the crowds began to thin and like every station, about 15 minutes out I find myself alone.
And this is how I found: The Kyukawagoekaido.
There were five major roads that led from the mercentile district of Edo, Nihonbashi (0km) to the rest of Japan. One of the most famous roads is the Nakasendo: A 533-kilometer road to Kyoto, the ancient Capital. The Kawagoekaido, however, was not one of them. This route considered a minor route that branches off from the Nakasendo route.
The “Kyu” in Kyu-kawagoekaido means old. There is a new road, Kawagoekaido, that is much bigger, noisier and not nearly as serene. But for me, and my walk home, the kyukawagoekaido is a clean, quiet road that stretches from somewhere around Ooyama Station to Shimo-Akatsuka on the Tobu Tojo line. About 7 kilometers at best guess. The actual road is much longer stretching from Nihonbashi, Tokyo to Kawagoe, Saitama Prefecture.
I’ve decided to walk the road but this is something I can’t do in either one walk or a single post. There are ten rest stations from Nihonbashi to Kawagoe and I will post one section at a time as I walk the route.
Comments
This is an interesting article for me because I lived in Kamiitabashi when I was a kid. It reminds me of the time of my childhood. My mother sometimes took me to shopping district to buy groceries.
I had been learning Japanese classical dance at the teacher’s house which was faced the road. There are many memories of mine there.
Now my brother-in-low’s house faces the road at Shimoakatuka.
I’m looking forward to the next.